


a galaxy apart

by thewriterx



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Alternate Universe - War, F/F, Fake Science, Future Fic, Gen, Lesbians in Space, Long-Distance Relationship, Mutual Pining, Outer Space, Romance, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:53:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28962741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewriterx/pseuds/thewriterx
Summary: Tobin Heath, a young woman hoping to be a third generation soldier in the Nuit Space Military meets the quietly confident Christen, who has been groomed to serve in the planet's fight against invasion. They fall in love in a flash, but soon find themselves fighting wars on different planets; they soon find themselves a galaxy apart.It's an interstellar romance, complete with closeness, distance, distrust and devotion.
Relationships: Rose Lavelle/ Lindsey Horan, Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Comments: 17
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

** Chapter One **

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3**

**Date: 02-02-2127**

**Time: 06:57:23**

Tobin Heath stands on alert along with the rest of the Nuit Space Military trainees and waits for General Dahlkemper to walk onto the stage and deliver the welcoming address. The air is brisk, as it was most days on their planet, with two of the three moons visible from where the trainees were standing in the courtyard of Base 3.

Training Base 3 was in the capital, Al Fida, and was considered the toughest of the bases to graduate from. Both of her parents received their training here and had passed with distinction. She had to follow in the same vain if she wanted to continue the family tradition of being a decorated member of the NSM.

Tobin does her best to keep her eyes focused on the stage in front of her, despite being in the third row of trainees and having to look past heads and necks to see the General. She hears incessant chatter amongst some of the others but tries to block it out. They were told not to speak, and she intends on following every order she gets here.

The brunette smooths over her freshly ironed dark blue tee-shirt with the NSM emblem on the left side of it. Her shirt is tucked into dark blue cargo pants and blue military style boots round off the uniform. Tobin can’t help but admire their trainer, Captain Rapinoe, who was dressed in her service uniform, complete with regiment side hat. She is already envisioning herself in the same position in a few years from now.

Tobin had always dreamt of joining the NSM and climbing the ranks, just like her mother, father and grandparents did before her. As a young girl, she would watch the military parades as they passed her home in the city of Xandria, where she grew up. If she was lucky, she would get a glimpse of her dad, Lieutenant Jeff Heath, who was one of the most respected members of the Space Military. She wanted to be just like him; and now she was finally getting the opportunity. The NSM were recruiting again and she had made it through the first stage of training back in her home city. Now she was at one of the training bases in the capital with several other young prospects. Only the best of the best were going to graduate this course and move on to the final phase of training.

The sirens sound for seven ‘o clock and at once, all the chatter stops. Each and every one of trainees stands at attention as Captain Rapinoe walks onto the stage and tapped on the mic to make sure it was working.

“At ease, cadets”, she says. “As you know, today marks your first official day here at the Emperor’s Military Training Base. Here to express just how significant you could be in our fight against enemy forces that mean harm to our planet is General Abby Dahlkemper. Please, join me in welcoming the General onto the stage”.

Rapinoe leads an applause as Gen. Dahlkemper replaces her behind the mic stand. She’s an imposing woman, maybe not the biggest or tallest, but certainly intimidating. And if her icy gaze wasn’t enough to humble you, all of her military insignia and medals certainly were.

Tobin knew a lot about her. She graduated from NSM training top of her troupe and fought in her first war when she was just twenty years old. She was a brave and noble soldier; and Tobin is looking to imitate her career as best she could.

“Good morning, trainees”, she greets, voice as authoritative as Tobin figured it would be. “I feel a great deal of pride when I look at all you brave, young people, eager to serve our planet, protect its orbit and to fight for its freedom. Our planet remains under siege. Many enemy forces are looking to steal our natural resources or enslave our children, but we will not let that happen! We will continue to fight and die for this land because it is our home! We need you to help us protect the well-being and the liberties of all of the people of Nuit”. The General speaks with a confidence Tobin always wishes she possessed.

“You will go through six weeks of excruciating training and tests. The strong and the brave shall be separated from the weak and the craven”. She looks down and over the crowd of about two-hundred or so trainees. “The Nuit Space Military are looking for soldiers who will show physical strength, but also mental fortitude; only the best of the best will make it here.

“A few years ago, a training troupe of one hundred only delivered three graduates. Our standards remain high, so your best might not be good enough. Give more than one hundred percent everyday for the next six weeks and remember, you are not doing this for yourself, but for your planet, your home and to protect the ones who cannot protect themselves”, she says and takes a step back, away from the microphone, doing the NSM salute, which the trainees and everyone else in attendance then also does.

Tobin claps off the General along with the other trainees. Dahlkemper said everything Tobin already knew, but she had said it in a way that made Tobin feel like she could actually one day serve in the military and protect the planet she loved so much. It just reminds her of why she was here in the first place, and it encourages her even more to do more than her best.

Rapinoe instructs them to head back to their dorms and await the siren that will signal breakfast at the canteen. Tobin falls into the single file line and begins the trek to the dorms, which were on the other side of the camp.

The line quickly disperses, and everyone walks in either small groups with the friends they have made since yesterday, or like Tobin, they walk alone.

She hasn’t really made any friends and she’s not planning to, either. She came here to graduate and serve in the military, just like her parents and grandparents. Her roommates seemed nice enough, but she wasn’t going to actively seek out conversations with them or forge friendships with anyone.

She makes her way to the building which housed all the dorms and the canteen and common rooms and quickly climbs the two flights of stairs and reaches her room. Her roommates were already all there. She ignores them and walks straight to her bed, the top of a bunk bed near a window facing the east.

“She was so intimidating”, Rose Lavelle says. Lindsey Horan and Sam Mewis agree. They were obviously talking about Gen. Dahlkemper. Tobin unlaces her boots, carefully places them by the foot of the bed and climbs to the top bed.

“What did you make of the General, Tobin?”, Lindsey asks.

Tobin, who was laying with her eyes closed, lifts her head and says, “She’s the General, what do you want me to say? Of course she’s going to be intimidating. She has to be. You think people will listening to you, obey your command or respect you if you’re a pushover?”

The room goes quiet and Tobin feels bad that she answered so rudely. It’s not like she wants to be harsh or mean, but she could only ever call it as she sees it. Maybe she just wasn’t a very personable person, stuck in a room with three very talkative and happy-go-lucky girls.

“I think she’s an inspiration”, Rose says and Tobin knows she’s just proved her point.

The other three woman continue talking, while Tobin lays on her back, staring at the ceiling, wondering what kind of training they were going to do after breakfast.

When she’s just about to slip into a nap, the siren goes off and it’s time to go eat. Rose, Lindsey and Sam all make their way out of the room, as Tobin puts on her boots. She checks herself in the mirror just to make sure she looked presentable. She loosens her tactical belt and untucks her shirt, only to re-tuck it. Then she unties her hair and wears the black elastic band she uses as a bracelet around her wrist.

She makes her way out of the room and then down the stairs. The canteen was on the ground floor of the building with their rooms and when she walks in, she’s hit with the smell of coffee being brewed, which wasn’t a bad way to start your day.

Rose, Sam and Lindsey are all in line for breakfast and she wonders if she should sit with them. She probably won’t. They probably don’t want her to, anyway. She’s been standoff-ish since they met. She basically just introduced herself and kept quiet the entire time. They’re all very talkative, she isn’t. Sitting with them would just be awkward now, especially since she didn’t sit at their table for dinner last night.

Tobin falls in line, too, thinking that she’ll figure out where to sit once she has her food.

She gets coffee, fruit salad and a mixed nut energy bar and then stands in the middle of the canteen, trying to find an empty seat. She notices one, a few tables away and sets course to the table.

///

Christen Press has her head buried in a book, but when she looks up, she sees a tall, brown haired woman standing in front of her.

She was striking. Tanned skin, strong facial features, and the way her dark blue tee-shirt stretched around her shoulders and biceps; Christen subconsciously drew her lower lip in between her teeth.

“Is this seat taken?”, the mystery woman asks in a kind of croaky voice.

“Um, no”, Christen says and offered a nervous half-smile. “You can sit”.

The woman takes her place next to Christen and immediately reaches into the bowl of fruit salad and takes out a piece of mango, which she pops into her mouth and then she licks at her finger and Christen suddenly feels embarrassed at how intimate that looked.

She looks over and catches Christen staring. “Are you okay?”

Christen nods. “Yeah… I’m good”.

A very, very small smile forms on the brunette’s lips, but then she goes back to eating her fruit salad.

Christen goes back to reading her book, but it’s such a distraction knowing one of the hottest people she has ever seen is sitting right next to her, sexily eating fruit like she’s not even aware how flustered she’s leaving Christen.

They sit next to each other in silence, but every now and then Christen steals a little glance over at her. This had been the first time that Christen was even around this any people, but for some reason she knows this woman was gonna stick out.

Once her breakfast was finished, the mysterious woman gets off her seat and casually walks away, without as much as a cordial goodbye. Christen watches her leave and wonders who she is, but more importantly, when she’ll see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 **

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – NSM Arena**

**Date: 02-02-2127**

**Time: 09:01:15**

It wasn’t called the ‘Murder Dome’ for nothing; the NSM Arena was something to behold – but there wasn’t really any time to take in the elaborate, chrome-plated surroundings, because the first training session was about to commence.

Sergeant Carli Lloyd had explained the course to the trainees. They were run down the straight of about 80 metres, jump and climb up thick black ropes hanging from the rafters, generate enough force to swing themselves over a constructed wall (about ten meters high), jump down, crawl underneath a net, get back on their feet and run the remainder of the lap. And because the Arena was equipped with Nuit’s best and most advanced technology, they had to do all of it while simulated rain was pouring down and the temperature dropped to -10 degrees Celsius.

Tobin wastes no time and forms part of the first 12 trainees up for the course. It seems easy enough, especially since Tobin has always been an avid runner. Back home she ran for two, sometimes three hours a day, as a way to keep up her fitness and work on her endurance. It worked out well, because now she could easily win a sprint, but also have enough leg power and lungs to run a half-marathon.

“This should be so easy for me”, someone next to Tobin says.

She quickly glances over and sees a tall, dark-haired woman with striking blue eyes and a cocky grin on her face.

“Really thought the NSM would do a little better than a fifth-grade obstacle course, oh well”.

She doesn’t say it, but now more than ever does Tobin want to conquer this course to hopefully shut this annoying woman up.

The countdown begins and it coincides with the rain failing and the temperature dropping. The countdown clock reaches one and a horn goes off somewhere.

Tobin easily sprints past everyone else and is first to reach the ropes. She climbs it with ease and swings herself over the wall comfortably. But when she lands on the ground, she’s behind three people. She rushes to the crawling section of the course, but she’s still a few meters behind whoever is first.

The final part of the course is approaching, a six hundred metre run around the track. The rain is simulated, but the wetness is real and the weight of her drenching clothes and the fact that the track could be manipulated to become steeper and unbalanced by the push of a button, means that this wasn’t your average middle-distance run. Still, Tobin’s in third place, but doesn’t stay there for long because Blue Eyes from the start line passes her. She knows she needs to step it up, so she finds another yard of pace from somewhere and tries to overtake her.

As the final few metres loom, Tobin can see the cocky girl from earlier catching up to her, so she levels up just a bit more to stay ahead up of her. Tobin’s in first place now, having passed whoever was leading. She can see the finish line, and it’s complete tunnel vision from here on out. All she wants to do is impress on her first real showing and she’s about 30 metres away from that.

But then, and it’s almost as if she can feel her lead slipping, she spots Blue Eyes in her peripheral vision and she’s helpless to stop her from going passed. She tries one last time, but it’s too late. Someone already won, but it wasn’t the cocky girl from earlier.

“Wow, that was impressive, I have to admit”, Sergeant Lloyd says and pushes a button on her control tab that stops the rain and turns the temperature up. “What’s your name, cadet?”, she asks.

The woman is out of breath, but she offers a polite smile. “Christen Press, Sergeant Lloyd”, she says.

“God job, Pressy”, Lloyd says and slaps between Christen’s shoulders. “You all did pretty good. Three minutes is a very impressive time. Now, the twelve of you that’s just finished need to go over to the biking stations and do another fifteen kilometres on training bikes. Once you’re done, come back here and we’ll discuss course two for the day”.

Tobin sighs, standing with her hands on her hips as she tried to regain her breath. She’s disappointed that she didn’t win, but then she spots Blue Eyes from before and she looks even more pissed-off than Tobin. Maybe it was a small victory, having her lose as well.

Tobin jogs up to the winner, who was a few steps ahead of her. “Hey”, she says and reaches to tap her on the shoulder.

The woman turns and looks at Tobin with inquisitive green eyes. Really pretty, inquisitive green eyes. Tobin remembers her from breakfast, but she doesn’t remember her being this beautiful.

“Oh, it’s you”, Christen says and offers a small, nervous smile.

“Yeah”, Tobin answers with a confused smile. “I wanted to say thanks for beating her”, she says and nods in Alex’s direction. “I know it probably doesn’t make any sense to you, but I really didn’t want her to win”.

“Who? Alex? She’s one of my roommates and she’s kind of a dick”, Christen says and it makes Tobin laugh. “I’m glad I beat her, too”.

Tobin’s impressed. By the quiet confidence and the manner in which this girl, apparently named Christen Press, carries herself. She’s also impressed by the way wet her tee-shirt clung onto her body and how the cold temperature seemed to perk up her… well, Tobin tries hard not to focus on those.

She sticks out a hand. “I’m Tobin Heath”.

Christen shakes it. “Christen Press”.

///

The second course of the day is an introduction to the weaponry used by the NSM during combat. Weapons is the one subject Tobin isn’t very good at. All the running, climbing and even hand-to-hand combat came easy because those were things she had been working on for years. She could only read about weapons, but reading wasn’t enough if she wanted to stand out and be the best.

She looks over to Christen, who was listening carefully to what Sergeant Lloyd had to say.

Her and Christen had biked next to each other after they completed the course. She learned that Christen was from the city Cairus, in the north of Nuit. And like most Northerners, she was a very bright and determined young woman, with a competitive streak that matched Tobin’s. They didn’t speak much, but Tobin could tell that they were probably more alike than she would like to admit.

“Okay, so this is basic target practice. You’ll have three shots at the target and the closer you hit to the bullseye, the higher your score will be. If you score over seventeen, you’re dismissed. You can go to your dorms, have a shower and rest up until the midday session later today. If you can’t score a seventeen on your first try, you’ll get a second opportunity to do so. If you still can’t make it, you’ll have to sit out the midday session and watch instructional videos on how to use the Lua 98 assault rifle”.

They were still in the Murder Dome, but now they were in one of the shooting ranges. There were ten shooting stalls and they were all filled fairly quickly. Tobin hangs back and tries to first see how everyone else is doing before she has a go.

“You good with guns?”, Christen asks as she approaches the brunette.

“Yeah, I’m decent”, Tobin lies because she doesn’t want Christen to know she’s a complete novice.

The green-eyed woman gives a nod but says nothing else.

Four out of the first ten get seventeen or more and they’re cleared to leave. Four others quickly step up, Alex is one of them.

Tobin wonders how hard it will be to shoot with an assault rifle and whether it’ll be different from the guns she was taught to shoot at the training facility back in Xandria. There the prospective trainees were taught about gun safety and the basics of shooting, but now it was something completely different. These were bigger guns and there was way more pressure on her to do well.

Alex makes seventeen and smirks as she walks past Tobin and Christen.

“Seriously”, Tobin whispers over at Christen. “how do you deal with having her as a roommate?”

“I tend to keep to myself. Plus, I brought a lot of books with me, so it’s easy to just read and block everything and everyone else out”.

Six more people pass and make their way out of the shooting range.

“I’m just gonna go and get this over with”, Tobin says to no one in particular. She walks up to one of the shooting stalls and inserts her unique NSM code, which will track every trainee’s progress over the next six weeks. She carefully lifts the gun and stares down at it for a second of two before raising and aiming. All she needs to do is get two fives and a seven. That’s it. That’s all.

She shoots and hits a three and suddenly she needs fourteen from two shots. She begins to panic, and the nerves don’t settle in time. Her second shot hits the ‘four’. Great, now she needs to hit a bullseye if she wants to pass on her first try. She lets out a breath and takes a final shot. It’s a six.

Tobin’s heart sinks and she puts the rifle down. Failing at her first attempt was not the ideal start.

“Hey, are you done?”, Christen asks. Before Tobin can answer, Lloyd stalks up to Christen’s shooting stall, which was right next to Tobin’s.

“Twenty-two? That’s pretty good, Pressy. Well done”, the Sergeant says. “I must say, you’re really taking this training by the scruff of the neck. Keep it up”.

She walks over to Tobin’s stall. “You get another three shots”, Lloyd says and walks off to the next stall.

“Fuck me”, Tobin mumbles under her breath.

“It is kinda hard, especially if it’s your first time using a rifle”, Christen says.

Tobin shrugs. “You shoot a lot of rifles?”, she asks flippantly.

“Actually, yes”, the green-eyed woman says and crosses her arms. “Don’t focus too much on hitting the target, just focus on where you wanna shoot and pull the trigger. When you get into your own head, that’s when you mess up”.

Tobin turns to face her but says nothing.

“I should go”, Christen says and turns and leaves before Tobin can say anything.

The brunette sighs and raises the rifle again. This time she tries she just aims and pulls the trigger. Maybe Christen’s right; maybe she was in her own mind too much for the first three shots.

The neon blue bullet hits the target at seven and it’s already a much better start. The second bullet hits ‘five’ and Tobin gets nervous again. If she fails this, she might as well pack her bags and go back home. She would let her parents down, tarnish their family name. She takes one deep breath and then shoots. It’s another five.

She lets out the breath she had kept in since before her final shot and places the rifle down. The shooting range seems to be suffocating her, so she rushes out of the room and then makes her way out of the Arena.

///

The cold air hits her face and she takes a deep breath. It was stressful back there and she’s glad to be out of the shooting range because she had started to get claustrophobic.

“Tobin!”

The brunette turns around and sees Christen leaning against one of the solid metal pillars at the entryway of the Arena. She walks over and offers a polite smile. “Did you pass?”

Tobin gave a nod.

“See, I told you. It was probably just nerves”, Christen says and places a hand on Tobin’s shoulder. She notices how Tobin flinches a bit and she’s immediately embarrassed that she touched her. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”

“Thanks for the advice back there. You didn’t have to do that, so I really appreciate it”, Tobin quickly cuts her off.

“Oh, um, it’s nothing. Selfish reasons, really”, the slightly taller woman said.

Tobin quirked up an eyebrow and Christen explains.

“I kinda need you there at the midday session so I don’t have to deal with Alex Morgan all by myself”.

Tobin smiles. “We’ll see each other there then”, she says and turns around, getting ready to leave, but Christen clears her throat and she turns back to face her.

“Maybe I could… save you a seat in the canteen?”, she asks quietly. “At lunch?”

Tobin gives the woman standing in front of her a careful inspection. She was probably half an inch taller than Tobin, with dark hair tied in a sleek ponytail and of course, the very distinct pale green eyes.

“I’d like that”.

///

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 - Canteen**

**Date: 02-02-2127**

**Time: 19:20:04**

“Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”, Tobin asks as she stuck a spoon into her tomato soup.

Christen, who was sitting opposite her, remains coy. She takes a sip from her water bottle and then tentatively wipes her mouth with a napkin. All the while Tobin stares at her with a bemused expression on her face.

Christen grins and pulls her shoulders up in a shrug. “Maybe I’m just natural”, she says.

“Bullshit”, Tobin says and shakes her head. “No such thing as a natural-born shooter”.

“Okay, fine… I’ve used guns before”, she simply says.

“Yeah, but these are military grade weapons. How would you have gotten access to-”

“You know, I didn’t invite you to sit with me just so you could interrogate me”, Christen says and dips her spoon into her bowl of tomato soup.

Tobin’s eyebrows knit together in a frown. “I feel like you’re hiding something”, she says.

“We’ve only just met. You don’t even know me”, Christen answers.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t be lying about something”, Tobin snaps back.

Christen gives half a smile. “Can I just enjoy my dinner in peace, please?”

Tobin silently agrees, and continues eating, occasionally looking up at Christen. There was something about this woman, and even though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it yet, she knows she has to get to the bottom of this mystery before the six weeks are over.

After dinner has been eaten, the trainees are expected to go back to their dorms, but a few hung around outside in the courtyard. Christen asks Tobin if she wants to go for a stroll around the camp and Tobin knows she has to say yes.

They walk in silence, hearing the distant sound of laughter and chatter from the other trainees. All three of the moons we’re out, so it was the brightest hour of the day.

“I was born and raised in a military compound”, Christen says out of nowhere. Tobin looks over to her with interest. “My… parents... were civilians, but they wanted to help protect our city and our planet… So they turned our house, estate I guess, into a compound. My sisters and I were taught to defend ourselves since we were little children. That’s how I know how to shoot a Lua rifle, or use a ray-gun or fly a fighter jet…”

“Wow”, Tobin says, shocked but extremely impressed.

“Yeah… so that’s my deep, dark secret”, the taller woman says with a giggle.

“That’s so cool…. Like, that sounds like the most awesome childhood ever”.

Christen gave a small smile.

“Well, now that I know how good you really are, I know I have to be at my best to beat you”, Tobin says.

“You’re very competitive, aren’t you?”, Christen laughs.

“Yeah… And I can’t help it”

“You gonna make an enemy outta me then?”, Christen asks playfully.

Tobin glances over at her and offers a smirk. “We can’t be enemies if we’re on the same team, right?”


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter Three **

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – NSM Arena**

**Date: 14-02-2127**

**Time: 09:08:29**

As the days passed at the Emperor’s Military Training Base, Tobin seemed to get better and better.

Maybe it was because she was putting less pressure on herself and just believing in herself a little more. Maybe it was the fact that with each passing day, they started doing courses she was much more comfortable with; things like running while carrying somebody over your shoulder or how to balance on and use a hoverboard.

Or maybe it was because she was now friends with Christen Press, the sassy Cairian who’s better than her in most things and makes her laugh when she’s trying to be serious.

Tobin will run a hundred metres in thirteen seconds and Christen will do it in twelve.

Tobin will score a ninety-seven on a weapons quiz and Christen will get ninety-eight.

They ate all their meals together. Sometimes they spoke, other times they just ate in silence and Tobin would steal glances at her occasionally and wonder if her heart beating so fast whenever she looked at Christen was normal or not.

Today marks their second week and they’re finally going to do some hand-to-hand combat training. Tobin was very excited because she spent years learning jiu-jitsu and had gotten into kickboxing in her teenage years.

They were finally out of their cadet uniforms as well, sporting dark blue athletic shorts and white trainers, instead of cargo pants and boots. Tobin has to mentally remind herself not to visibly drool over Christen in her tight shorts with her endless legs that were on display today.

“Alright, settle down”, Sergeant Lloyd says as she leads the trainees into the Murder Dome, this time simulated to look just like a cage fighting arena. “Today we’re gonna fight and when I say fight, I mean it. You’ll be paired up and your challenge is to pin your opponent down for a two count. Shoulders down, basic wrestling rules. Got it?”

A few ‘yesses’ ring around the arena.

“Alright then… let’s start with…”, she checks her tablet. “Horan and Dunn”.

The two women look to each other and then slowly make their way to the cage.

“This is kinda scary, I’m not gonna lie”, Christen whispers over to Tobin.

“It’s not that bad… You’ll see. Didn’t you learn fight at the compound?”

Christen shudders at how easily the word comes to Tobin. As if it was just another place. She supposes she can’t get mad at Tobin for always bringing it up; she never explained the whole story to her, so Tobin just sees it as a place of learning that’s made Christen a very capable young soldier. She couldn’t burden her new friend with the truth. Not right now, at least. Right now she has to focus on not freaking out at the fact that she’ll have to fight someone today.

Lindsey Horan, who’s one of Tobin’s roommates, squares up to a woman named Crystal, who Tobin has seen around campus before.

There were over two hundred trainees, but it had dwindled down to just over one-hundred-and-twenty. A lot of people couldn’t keep up with the rigorous training. There were no days off and the training just got more and more intense as the days went on.

With the troupe thinned out, it became easier to recognise people and so Tobin had noticed people like Crystal, Sophia, Julie and Ali. All of them were very capable young soldiers and elite athletes.

Lindsey gets the first punch in, but it’s all Crystal from then on. She gets a few strong kicks in and Tobin is quietly impressed. Christen winces every time a punch or a kick lands.

“You okay?”, Tobin asks. Christen gives a quick nod, but Tobin isn’t convinced. She gently snakes an arm around Christen’s waist. “Better?”, she whispers.

Christen nods, and Tobin can feel her relaxing under her touch.

Lindsey and Crystal’s bout lasts two minutes, and the latter wins comfortably.

“That was good, Dunn. Very good”, Lloyd says and then checks her tablet computer. “Next up; Heath and Miedema, come on now”.

Tobin glances over at Christen, who has a slightly panicked look in her eyes.

“I’ll be fine”, Tobin says softly and gives a reassuring smile. She lets go of Christen’s waist and makes her way to the octagon.

“Damn, I really wanted you”, Alex says casually as Tobin walks passed her.

The brunette turns to her and says, “Same here. Really wanted to knock that cocky grin off your face”.

Alex just smirks.

Tobin and Alex weren’t exactly enemies, but there was a lot of animosity between them. To be fair, Alex had bad blood with literally everyone there except her cronies, who followed her wherever she went. No one but them liked her or the sly little comments she made every day. It was wearing thin on a lot of people, especially Tobin.

The only major incident they had, happened on day five, when Alex intentionally bumped into Tobin to knock her off the climbing wall. Tobin had gone up to her afterwards and asked what her problem was, but she said there was no problem between them and walked off.

Tobin got in the cage and bumped fists with her opponent. Lloyd counted down from three and their match began.

Vivienne Miedema was a dark horse, always passing the tests with flying colours and impressing the trainers. Tobin ducks her first few punches and when she finally found her stance, she was able to give two body shots and knock Miedema off balance. One carefully placed hook kick and the tall blonde is down. Tobin quickly moves to pin her shoulders down for a two count.

“Excellent, Heath”, Lloyd says.

“Thank you, Sergeant”, Tobin says as she helps Vivienne up. “You good?”, she asks her fellow trainee.

Vivienne smiles. “I’ll get you next time”.

The two are all smiles as they walk towards the gate of the octagon, but then Tobin comes crashing down to a harsh reality when Lloyd announces the next match-up.

“Alright, next up, Press and Morgan!”

Tobin quickly looks at the group of trainees and finds Christen. She walks out of the octagon and right into Alex, who smirks and leans in to say, “I didn’t get you, which is a shame, but I’ll make sure your little girlfriend knows she’s been in a fight”.

Tobin speaks through gritted teeth. “If you hurt her, I swear-”

Alex grins and purposefully bumps into Tobin as she walks past her.

Christen is on her way to the cage and she passes Tobin. They don’t speak and just exchange a quick glance.

“Alright, ladies. You know the rules, pin your opponent down for a two count. Let’s fight!”

Tobin stands with arms crossed, edgy as she watches Christen and Alex circle each other in the cage.

Much to her surprise, Christen lands the first punch; a neat uppercut that stuns Alex a little bit. Tobin isn’t sure if she’s ever been prouder of anyone in her life.

But Alex hits back with a vicious jab, then doubles down with a hook kick and another carefully placed jab to the stomach.

“Come on, Chris! You got this!”, Tobin calls out.

It only spurs Alex on, because she hits a backfist and then a side kick, which leaves Christen on the floor. But instead of pinning her, Alex straddles Christen and continues to rain down bare-knuckle punches on her, while she holds her elbows up to avoid the hits.

Tobin can’t take it anymore; she runs up the ramp to the entryway of the cage where Lloyd is stood. “Sergeant, you’re not gonna stop this?!”, she asks.

Lloyd shrugs. “You’re preparing for war… which will be much worse than this”, she simply says.

Tobin doesn’t need to hear more, she pushes past Lloyd and runs to grab Alex by the waist and off of Christen. Once the blue-eyed woman is off of her, Tobin kneels down next to Christen, who had blood coming from her nose and lip.

“Hey, hey… are you okay?”, she asks softly and helps Christen sit up. “I can’t believe that bitch did this”, she says and looks back at Alex, who was leaning against the cage with a grin on her face.

“Don’t, Tobin”, Christen says softly, wincing from the pain.

“But she-”

“You’ll get into trouble”, Christen says and allows Tobin to help her up.

Alex walks over and put a hand on Christen’s shoulder. “Sorry ‘bout that, roomie… I have no idea where all that rage came from”, she says and walks out of the cage.

“Morgan, I’m writing you up for that”, Lloyd calls out after her. “Heath, take Press to the infirmary, please”.

Tobin nods and puts and arm around Christen’s waist as she walks her out of the arena.

///

Tobin watches as a nurse cleaned up Christen’s bruises and applied ointment and a tiny bandage over the bridge of her nose. Once she’s all good to go, Tobin offers Christen her hand, which she takes and holds as they walk out of the infirmary.

“Well, that was embarrassing. Everybody saw me get my ass kicked by the biggest fucking bully in this place”, Christen says.

Tobin shakes her head. “I’ll kick her head off, I don’t care if they throw me out afterwards. I just wanna kick her ass so bad”.

“You know that’s not true”, Christen says and gives a sad smile. “You know you’d be devastated if you were kicked out of here. This is what you’ve always wanted”.

“But-”

“And that’s why I didn’t want you to do anything to her back in the Arena”. Christen squeezes Tobin’s hand. “Life has a funny way of catching up to people like Alex Morgan. Don’t let her rattle you any further, okay?”

Tobin drops her head, but then she gives a nod.

“Good”, Christen says and nudges Tobin’s shoulder with her own. “Thanks for coming in and helping me”, she says softly. “You’re my hero”. She places a chaste kiss on Tobin’s cheek.

The kiss catches Tobin off-guard, but she smiles and ghosts her fingers over the spot on her cheek where Christen’s lips touched.

“I’ll always be there for you”, she says and hopes Christen knows she means it.


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter 4 **

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Dorm 12**

**Date: 14-02-2127**

**Time: 06:07:38**

It was their first day off in what felt like forever. Tobin decided to sleep in, but she was woken up by the cheerful chatter of her roommates.

“Morning, Tobin!”, Rose greets happily and Tobin wonders if her roommates will ever that the hint that she doesn’t like talking to people.

“Hi”, she mumbles and sits up in bed.

“It’s our day off, got any special plans?”, Sam asks.

Tobin raises an eyebrow. “No… why do you ask?”, she asks, ready to call out any one of them if they dared to say anything she didn’t like.

“Oh well, it’s just…”, Rose starts.

“You’ve found yourself a girlfriend here and it’s time you took her on a real date instead of your little late-night walks around the parameters of the campus”, Lindsey said bluntly.

Tobin, Rose and Sam were all there with their mouths agape like fish out of water.

“What?”, Lindsey asks all innocent, like she hadn’t dropped a huge bomb.

“Ex-excuse me?”, Tobin questions, unsure if she heard the blonde correctly. She couldn’t possibly have to audacity to call Tobin out like that, could she?

“You and Press”, Lindsey says again. “You think no one notices your little cute couple moments? All the whispering, eating from each other’s plates during breakfast or lunch or dinner? And then you run up and save from that bitch Alex”.

“That _was_ quite cute”, Sam adds casually.

Tobin wasn’t having it. Not from these dorks she’s actively been ignoring since day one. “Stop talking about shit you know nothing about”, she says and climbs down from her bed.

“Hey, I’m just saying… If I liked someone here, I’d be asking them if we could spend our one day off together”, Lindsey says calmly. “Which reminds me…”, she turns to Rose. “…Rose, would you like to spend the day in the capital city with me?”

“W-wait… me? You and I?”, Rose stammers. “Uh, yeah… I’d love you… I mean, I’d love to”.

Tobin runs a hand through her hair and wonders how she ended up this situation with these annoying people. “I’m gonna take a shower… I can’t deal with you people”, she says and makes her way to the bathroom, stifling a laugh as she hears Sam complain about having to go find her sister so she at least has someone to spend the day with.

///

Tobin feels weird in her regular clothes now. She walks into the canteen and looks around until she spots Christen. She looks so different today; wearing something other than dark blue cargo pants and a tee-shirt and her hair isn’t tied or straightened either, so it’s all luscious curls cascading down her shoulders.

“Good morning”, Tobin greets.

“Good morning”, Christen says with a smile and then she allows her eyes to rake over Tobin’s frame. “Look at you”, she says as she gets up from her seat. “I usually love a woman in uniform, but damn”, she says. Tobin was in a crisp white tee-shirt, black jeans cuffed around the ankles and white sneakers. An orange base jumper jacket and matching orange beanie rounds off her look.

“You might be looking at me, but all I’m seeing is you”, Tobin says before she can stop herself. “But anyway… I was wondering if you’d like to hang out today… with me. If you would like to hang out with me today”, she finally says after sounding like a fool at her first attempt.

Christen chuckles, finding it cute that Tobin’s all nervous for once. “I’d like that”, she says. “That’s if you’re okay with going out with someone who couldn’t quite hide their black eye with foundation”, she says and points at her slightly swollen eye.

Tobin laughs, and holds her hand out for Christen to take. “Let’s get out of here”.

///

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Al Fida City Centre – Cleo Carnival**

**Date: 14-02-2127**

**Time: 09:14:32**

Christen’s been on high-speed trains, but the Sentinel 4701 from the Training Base to the capital’s city centre, was something else. She can’t remember ever being that nervous on a train before, but it just went so fast that she had to hold on to Tobin’s waist as they stood in the isle.

But now they were in in the city and it was just as beautiful as she always thought it would be. The buildings scraped the deep violet skies, there were cars driving on the streets and hoverboards using the S-way, a network of tubes about two hundred metres above the ground.

“Hey, hey, watch it”, Tobin says and pulls at Christen’s arm to stop her from walking into the street.

“Oh, sorry, I was just admiring… everything”, she says and wonders if that makes her sound weird. If it makes her sound like someone who’s never been in a city as big and bustling.

“Yeah, I know. This place is amazing. I’ve lived in Xandria all by life and even though I love living close to the ocean, I’ve always wanted to see the big city”, Tobin says. “But we still have to abide by the law and walk on the pavements, yeah?”

Christen rolls her eyes, but then she spots something very interesting.

It’s an amusement park, right in the middle of the city centre.

“Cleo Carnival”, she reads the big pink neon sign.

Tobin follows her line of sight. “You wanna go in there?”

Christen’s eyes narrowed, but then she gives a fleeting smile. “Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to go to an amusement park”.

“Well, now’s your chance. We can go on rides, eat lots of unhealthy food”, Tobin says and put an arm around Christen’s shoulder. “It’ll be fun”.

Christen hesitates. “Are you sure?”

Tobin nods excitedly. “Yes! Now let’s go”.

///

They spend the majority of their day off at the Cleo Carnival amusement park, eating pastel coloured candyfloss, sour candies and candy apples. Tobin drags Christen into the Spooky Hall of Infinite Mirrors, and laughs every time Christen falls for a jump scare.

Christen wins Tobin a moonbear when she gets three straight bullseye shots with a paintball rifle and the brunette is left to carry the fuzzy toy bear around with her all day as punishment for laughing at Christen back in the Spooky Hall.

Now they were sat on a park bench, drained from all of the walking they’ve done.

“Alright, Chris, we’ve eaten enough candy to silence your sweet tooth for the next decade”, Tobin says and crosses her arms. “We’ve also won every single game and given away enough toys to little kids… I think it’s time we go on a ride”.

Christen nods in agreement. “You’re right. There’s nothing left for us to do here on the ground, we’ll have to take to the skies”.

Tobin chuckles. “To serve our planet with vigour and distinction”, she mocks the daily speech Captain Rapinoe made every morning before training commenced.

Christen presses her lips together to keep from laughing. “That was not funny”, she says and grabs Tobin’s arm. “Come on, let’s go ride The Spinning Abyss”.

Tobin allows herself to be lead by her companion, but furrows her brow. “You wanna try the most extreme rollercoaster first?”

“Yeah! Might as well skip the rest and go for the best, right?”

Tobin shrugs. “I suppose so”. Christen had a way of leaving her bemused and she was slowly getting addicted to the feelings she had whenever she was around her.

They chit-chat as they move along in the line, but before they can get to the front of the line, an attendant steps in front of the small gate leading up to the rollercoaster.

“Sorry, folks, we just received word from the national weather centre that a derecho is approaching and should hit in approximately forty minutes. We’re gonna have to close down the Carnival and encourage everyone to head home as soon as possible”.

There’s a loud and worried murmur and the line quickly disperses.

“Wow, talk about timing, right?”, Tobin manages to joke. She holds out her hand to Christen to take and the two interlace fingers.

“Yeah, tell me about it”.

“We should get going, the trains are gonna be packed”, Tobin says as the PA system announces the impending shift in the weather.

///

They manage to catch a train back to the base and make it through the gates with three minutes before the derecho hits. The courtyard is empty and the sirens are going off, indicating that a threat is approaching.

“Come on, Chris!”, Tobin calls out as she makes it through the doors of the building which housed the dorms. Christen wasn’t far behind, but Tobin seemed to panic because the other woman was half a centimetre too far away from her and she could see the dust twirl up in the sky as the strong winds approached.

They both stumble through the doors and hear a loud bang as the metal doors close behind them.

“You two are just in time; we were gonna close up”, one of the trainers, Sergeant Howard says. “Everybody else got here ten, twelve minutes ago already. Where were you?”

Tobin swallows deep and is about to answer but Christen speaks first.

“The news about the derecho reached us very late, Sergeant. We’re really sorry”.

He doesn’t look impressed, but before he can say anything, the sound of the extreme winds hitting against the building, together with the slight trembling it leaves behind, stops him. He looks around nervously and then says, “Up! To your dorms, right now!”

The two women wordlessly turn and climb up the stairs.

“I’m sorry I got us into trouble”, Christen says quietly.

“Don’t apologise, you did nothing wrong, kid”.

Christen smiles when she hears the nickname Tobin had given her when she learned she was a few months older than her.

“And I don’t mind getting into trouble with you”, she says and nudges Christen’s shoulder with her own.

The building trembles again and it’s like another jump scare for Christen, only this time Tobin doesn’t laugh; she carefully puts her arm around Christen’s shoulders and whispers, “I got you, okay? I’m right here.”

The younger woman nods, but then she looks at Tobin with fearful eyes. “We’ll be safe, right?”

Tobin couldn’t really promise that because she didn’t know either. These weren’t the gale winds she was used to in Xandria. These were terrible winds that could cause mass destruction. But she wasn’t going to scare Christen even further, so she comforts her with a lie.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’re at a military base, remember? These types of buildings are… are basically indestructible”, she says and fakes a laugh. “You’ll be safe, I promise”.

Christen nods. “Thank you, Tobin… I needed that”. She gives a small smile. “I know you’re lying, but I still appreciate the effort. You’re such a good friend”.

Tobin isn’t sure what she’s taken aback by the most; Christen calling her bluff or the friend comment. She decides not to think about either and just smiles. “You’re welcome, I guess”.

“I had a really nice time today”, Christen says and trails a hand along Tobin’s forearm. “It’s a shame it ended so abruptly”.

Tobin offers a polite smile. “I had fun, too. Thanks for spending the day with me”.

Christen nods down to the blue bear in Tobin’s hand. “And you have a little memento to remember it by”.

“Yeah… I love this little guy”, Tobin says and wiggles the plushy toy around in her hand.

“This is my floor so-”

“Oh right. Go to bed, relax and remember, the big bad winds won’t get you in your room”, Tobin jokes.

Christen manages an eyeroll and then a smile. “I’ll see you soon”.

Tobin nods.

///

When Tobin enters her room, she finds her three roommates all on Rose’s bed, looking worried. She mumbles a ‘hey’ and walks over to her bed.

“What the heck, Tobin? Where were you? We were so worried”, Sam says and walks over to Tobin’s bed (which was technically also hers since it was a bunk).

Tobin sighs as she kicks off her sneakers. “Seriously? You people have nothing better to do than to sit and stress over where I am?”

“We were afraid that something bad might have happened with you… you know, with the winds and all”, Rose says in a quiet voice.

Tobin scoffs. “These winds are common in the south of Nuit, I don’t know why everybody’s so rattled about it”.

“Listen here, dummy”, Lindsey chimes in and Tobin immediately has a daggered look for her. “We weren’t worried about the winds, we were worried about you. You’re our roommate and like it or not, we care about your well-being”. The blonde goes to lay down on Rose’s bed.

Tobin wants to protest, but she doesn’t have the energy. Instead, she puts her moonbear on the dresser next to her bed and takes off her beanie and jacket.

“Nice bear you got there”, Sam says.

“Don’t”, Tobin warns. Maybe she hasn’t been hard enough on these three. Maybe she needs to explain to them that she didn’t like chit-chat and small talk. Maybe she had to be even meaner so that they would get that she didn’t want to be friends with them.

But then she remembers how genuinely glad they were to see her and how relieved they all looked when she walked through the door.

She shakes those images out of her head and climbs on her bed. All she really wants to think about is how much fun she had with Christen today. And how Christen could incite such powerful emotions in her with a simple look or laugh or touch of a fingertip. She wonders what it means and if it’ll ever go away. She needs it to; for the sake of her career in the NSM. She couldn’t allow herself to get distracted by pale green eyes that flickered in the moonlight, or light brown skin that seemed like it would be warm to the touch or long and slender fingers that locked so perfectly with her own.

She couldn’t allow herself to get distracted by Christen, but she already was.


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5 **

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Dorm 8**

**Date: 15-02-2127**

**Time: 10:07:38**

The sessions in the Murder Dome were cancelled until further notice and all the trainees had to do today was study for a test that was to be written a little later.

In a way Christen was relieved that they didn’t have to do any form of training, because she woke up extremely tired. She didn’t sleep the night before, not with the constant loud clattering of the wind against the windows. She tried reading, but that didn’t work either; and it was rare that her one and only form of escapism didn’t work. So she laid awake and wondered about the future. She wondered if she would graduate and what her first assignment would be one she was an official member of the NSM. She wondered if she would be on patrol or if she would work on one of the spaceships; both sounded interesting, but she would like to work on the ships. She would like to see more of the galaxy.

She also wondered about Tobin. She knew they were good friends and she had even called Tobin such, but then she thought if she might have friendzoned the brunette too soon.

Tobin was fun and witty and understood her in ways no one else ever did. She was the first person that Christen had ever made a real connection with and she liked her, a lot. But what if her lack of experience when it comes to feelings and relationships meant that she couldn’t read Tobin well enough? She wondered if Tobin liked her back, or if she was just being a considerate friend. How could she make that distinction between platonic friendship and romantic love when she’s never experienced either?

The questions swirl around in her head as she tried to focus on the study materials in front of her. All she could do now is work hard on the things she understood and deal with what makes her human later.

“You know, it’s a real shame about you and your little girlfriend”, Alex suddenly said from her bed.

Christen has learned not to pay any mind to Alex and the hate she spews. It was like she wanted to be mean just for the sake of being mean. She had no motivation and no end-game.

“Alex, can you just-”

“No, Lucy… you don’t get to talk. I am having a conversation with Christen”, Alex spits back and focuses her attention back on Christen.

“Seems like a pretty one-sided conversation if you ask me”, Lucy says and crosses her arms. She has also had enough of Alex Morgan, but unlike Christen, she was more versed in the art of dealing with bullies.

“Well, nobody asked you, so please stay out of my business”, Alex says and gives a poisonous smile.

“What is it, Alex?”, Christen asks without looking up.

“Oh, you know… When you two didn’t show up yesterday I really thought something bad had happened. That would’ve been awful”.

“Yeah, well, we’re alive and kicking… kicking your ass at every training and trial they throw at us”, Christen says and puts down her pen. “And if you ever talk shit to me again, I-”

“What are you gonna do, Chrissy? You can’t beat me up, can you? You saw what happened that last we got into a fight. Your face still hasn’t recovered”, Alex says and laughs.

“Maybe I’ll get my _girlfriend_ to fight you… she really wants to get her hands on you anyway”.

Alex arches and eyebrow. “I bet she does”.

“Alright, alright… I’m tired of this passive-aggressive shit”, Lucy says and alternates looks between the two women. “Calm the heck down, or I’ll fuck both of you up”.

Christen gives Alex one more look before she turns back to her work and tries to study for the test.

///

The worst of the derecho was over when the trainees made their way down to the examination hall. Christen stands by the door, waiting for Tobin before she goes in and the brunette arrives five minutes later.

Tobin smiles when she reaches Christen. “Hey”.

“Hi”.

“How did you sleep late night? W-with the winds and stuff?”

“I didn’t sleep much, but I feel a lot better now knowing it’s over… It is over, right?”

Tobin smiles and gives a nod. “It’s over and these kinda winds only show up once or twice a year”.

“That’s good news”, Christen says with a relieved laugh. “Are you ready for the test?”

“I don’t know… it was very last minute. Feels kinda like a pop quiz to me, but I’m sure I’ll be fine”.

“Of course you will”, Christen says and gives Tobin’s hand a quick squeeze. Tobin is about to say something in return, but then she spots Lindsey, Rose and Sam all staring at them from a few meters away. She pulls her hand back and offers a polite smile. “Why don’t we go in? Might as well get some good seats”, she jokes and brushes past Christen into the exam hall.

Christen follows Tobin inside and wonders if she did something wrong. They sit next to each other and Christen watches at Tobin fiddles with her stylus. She leans over and asks if Tobin’s alright. The brunette smiles and nods.

“I’m fine”, she says and winks at Christen. “Good luck with your test, not that you need it”.

///

They have dinner later that night, but Christen doesn’t talk much. Instead she just plays around with the vegetables on her plate and listens to Tobin going on and on about her annoying roommates.

“I swear, they’re all terrible… really”, she says and shrugs to emphasise her point.

“I don’t know… They sound a lot better than mine”, Christen says dryly.

The look on Tobin’s face changes to concerned in a nanosecond. “Is it Alex? What did she do?”, she asks and immediately looks around to find Alex Morgan.

“No. Shes’s being her normal bitchy self… I just have to deal with her for a few more weeks”, Christen says.

“But something’s wrong, right? I can tell”.

“I’m just… Everything is just so confusing. I thought that I could navigate these new experiences and all these new feelings, but they’re really jarring sometimes”, Christen says.

“Hey, everything will be okay in the end”, Tobin says and offers a smile. “And if it’s not okay, then it’s not the end… or something kinda cheesy like that”.

It is cheesy, but it makes Christen laugh.

After dinner they go on their customary nightly stroll around the campus. The night sky is a deep violet and the stars seem to sparkle just a little more. It’s beautiful, but Tobin finds herself stealing glances over at Christen instead of looking up into the aethers.

“Do you ever think about all the other planets in all those other galaxies?”, Christen suddenly asks.

Tobin takes a deep breath and shrugs. “Sometimes… When I was younger I used to think that I was an alien and that my real family would come get me and take me away to some far away planet and I’d finally be in a place where I fit it”

“Tobin… I never knew you felt like you didn't fit in”.

“I was an only child and my parents were away a lot and… I don’t know, I guess I wanted to believe that there was a family out there who really wanted to spend time with me”. She bites at the corner of her bottom lip.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay”, Christen says and rubs circles on Tobin’s back. “I know exactly what you mean… I always wanted a family, too”.

Tobin looks over to her companion. “But I thought your parents and... they trained you, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, but we weren’t really a family. My sisters and I were born to be weapons… I never had a childhood, didn’t leave the compound until I was seventeen and even then it was just in and around Cairus”.

“They… they did that to you?”

Christen nods. “In their own way, they thought they were doing the right thing, but now I’m in the real world with no idea how to handle all these real world issues and feelings”.

“If it helps, I don’t know how to deal with the real world either”, Tobin says and it makes Christen smile sweetly.

“Maybe we can help each other figure it all out”, Christen suggest.

“Yeah, yeah… We can do that”.


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter 6 **

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – NSM Arena**

**Date: 22-02-2127**

**Time: 09:07:21**

The trainees were in the gym after another excruciating assault course, but what made it different than every other gym session, was that there were no trainers around. A PA system called them all to Captain Rapinoe’s office.

Tobin bench-presses while Christen spots her.

“I think I can do four more reps”, Tobin says between gritted teeth.

“I’m sure you can, but I’m only gonna allow you to do one more. You’re tired and you need a rest”

“Oh, come on, kid. I’m good. This is my thing”, Tobin says, but only does one more rep. Christen gives a cheeky smile as she watches Tobin glide off the bench.

“You’re impossible! I could’ve done a few more”, Tobin laughs.

“I’m just trying to be the sensible one”, Christen says and then turns around when she feels a hand on her shoulder and sees one of her roommates, Lucy Bronze, behind her.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I need someone to spot me. Christen, if you’re available?”, she asks.

Christen looks over to Tobin who just gives a shrug and a smile. “Go ahead, I’m good right here”.

“Okay, but don’t try anything silly, okay?”

Tobin laughs. “I think I’ll manage”.

Christen and Lucy walk over to the other side of the gym while Tobin gets up and walks over to the treadmills. She sees one that’s not being used, but before she can even walk over there, Vivianne Miedema steps in front of her.

“Hi”, Tobin says, slightly bemused.

“Hey. I hope this isn’t weird, but I saw that you and Press weren’t side by side for the first time in forever and… I just wanted to know if you and her are, you know… together”.

“Oh”, Tobin says and shakes her head ‘no’. “We’re just really good friends, but people always mistake us for a couple”.

“Yeah, I can see why”, Viv says and scratched the back of her neck. “That’s all I wanted to know, thanks. I’ll see you around”.

“Yeah, you too Viv”, Tobin says and heads to the treadmill. She wonders why Vivianne wanted to know about her and Christen. Maybe she was just curious; most people were. Tobin had long since gotten the feeling that everybody on the training base was curious about them.

That night, during dinner, Viv walks up to the table where Christen and Tobin were seated and asks if she could join them. Christen happily invites her to sit down, but Tobin is a bit more sceptical. This, together with the question she asked earlier today all just felt strange.

They still have a nice time together though. Viv is a fun-loving young woman, very witty and undeniably pretty; Tobin doesn’t know why, but she begins to feel threatened by her presence. And by the way she makes Christen laugh and the way they connected over talk of guns.

As the dinner goes on, Vivianne clears her throat and turns to face Christen. “So, um, Christen… I know that we don’t get much time off, but I was wondering if you would like to hang out some time. Just us two?”, she asks and now Tobin knows why she felt threatened.

“Oh”, Christen says and looks to Tobin first. The brunette looks away.

“I’d just like to get to know you better, you seem like such an amazing person with an infectious personality.”

“Viv”, Christen begins. “You seem like really nice girl and I’m sure we’d have a great time hanging out, but… I think that I just need to focus on graduating first”.

The blonde nods and gives a soft smile. “I understand… You’re very motivated and I can appreciate that”. She stands up. “I’m sorry if I made things awkward. Have a nice evening, ladies”. She gives another smile and walks off.

Christen’s eyes immediately finds Tobin’s. “That was… something”.

“Yeah”, Tobin said and hid behind a glass of water. Her mind was racing right now. Of course someone else would see what she sees in Christen. And of course someone would want to be with her. They were bold and she wasn’t. They had the courage to vocalise their feelings, she didn’t.

“I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings”.

“Look at you, heartbreaker”, Tobin only half jokes.

“No, please don’t say that”, Christen says and frowns. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone and Viv’s so sweet”.

“I’m sure she’ll be alright”, Tobin says. “You can’t always protect people… you might not understand it yet, but you will. Sometimes people hurt you and sometimes you hurt them”.

Christen’s brow is still furrowed. “You wouldn’t hurt me, would you?”

“Of course not”, Tobin promises earnestly. “Your… friendship means everything to me”, she says and the word almost physically hurts her.

“Good, because I want you around”, Christen says and smiles.

///

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – NSM Arena**

**Date: 24-02-2127**

**Time: 22:20:24**

“I bet you really wanted to do this with Christen, right?”, Alex says and she and Tobin trudges through a simulated muddy swamp. They were to hunt ‘enemy soldiers’ and shoot them with ray guns. Whoever had the most kills would be the champion. They worked in pairs and Tobin was stuck with Alex Morgan.

“Keep her name out of your mouth”, Tobin warns.

“I’m just saying… seems like you’ve got some competition for her affections… And I’m not just talking about Miedema. I know of a few people who want to get into her pants. You’re gonna have to claim your woman”, Alex says and chuckles.

Tobin stops and turns to face her partner. “I swear, I am so close to shooting you”.

Alex smirks. “That’s if you can hit the target”.

Tobin’s heard enough. She slings her gun over her shoulder and grabs Alex by her collar. “What the fuck is your problem, huh? Why do you insist on being an asshole?”

Alex shoves at Tobin. “Maybe I don’t like you or Christen or any of these people here”.

“And now you’re just terrorising everyone? To what end?”

Alex says nothing, she just shoves at Tobin so that the brunette can let go of her.

They walk, aim and shoot at the simulated soldiers in complete silence, with only the sound of their boots plodding through the swap.

After a while, they catch up to a few other trainees and Tobin immediately spots Christen ten or so meters away. She trudges through the murky waters on route to her friend.

“Hey”, she says once she reaches Christen, who was partnered with Crystal.

Both Christen and Crystal greet back.

“How many kills did you guys get?”, Tobin asks casually.

“I got six, which I thought was good, until Little Miss Perfect over here got ten”, Crystal says with a dramatic eyeroll.

“I should’ve gotten at least three more, but I couldn’t hit fatal shots”, Christen explains. “What about you?”

Tobin shrugs. “Oh, you know, just twelve. It’s not really a big deal”.

She chuckles when Christen squeals and pulls her in for a hug. “That’s amazing! I knew you could do it”.

“Thanks, kid”. Tobin uses her free hand to stroke along the nape of Christen’s neck, enjoying the semblance warmth her body brings and the faint smell of berries from her shampoo. The moment is so imperfect that it’s perfect; simple and intimate.

“Well, uh, I don’t know about you guys, but I need to get out of this really gross swamp”, Crystal awkwardly jokes. “I will see you later”.

Tobin and Christen quickly let go of each other and says ‘bye’ in unison as Crystal walks off. They turn back to each other as soon as she’s gone.

“I hope Alex wasn’t too horrible”.

Tobin sighs and shakes her head. “She sucks. I can’t stand her”.

“Yeah… she threatened to beat me up again the other day”, Christen says.

Tobin pulls a pensive face and turns around at a slight angle to see if Alex was still standing somewhere behind her. “Clearly she hasn’t noticed how good you’ve gotten at hand-to-hand. You’ll kick her ass if she ever tries anything again”.

Christen smiles when she hears just how much confidence Tobin has in her. “That, and I told her that if she comes at me again, I’ll just go and get you. That scared her right off”.

Tobin laughs and then reaches out to wipe a smearing of sludge that found its way to Christen’s forehead away with her thumb. “We’ve got each other’s back, right?”

“Always”.

///

Tobin returns from her shower and finds her three roommates lounging in their sleepwear, talking about who-knows-what and giggling like teenage girls.

“Hey, Tobs”, Lindsey greets happily. Tobin ignores her because that’s not her name and she refuses to stoop to their level.

“We saw that little moment you had with a certain green-eyed squaddie”, Sam teases. “You guys are really cute together”.

“We’re not together!”, Tobin finally cracks. “Christen and I are just friends and I would appreciate it if you stopped talking like you know shit because you don’t! We’re friends, okay? She wants to be friends, so we’re friends”.

She immediately regrets the last sentence because now Lindsey, Sam and Rose were all staring at her with looks of sympathy on their faces.

“T-that’s not what I meant”, she quickly adds. “We’re friends…with each other and that’s what we both want”.

Lindsey is the first to speak. She places a gentle hand on Tobins’s shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “I get it, don’t worry. We won’t tease you again”.

“Yeah, we’re sorry”, Rose adds.

Tobin says nothing and just walks over to her bed. She tries to fall asleep, even though the other three girls in the room are talking. Lindsey was made an unofficial liaison between the trainees and the trainers. She spends a few minutes a day in their offices, so she hears things the others wouldn’t ever have heard.

“Something’s definitely going on… Captain Rapinoe just left her office yesterday and no one knows when she’s coming back. They put Howard in charge for now, but it’s still so strange. Everyone seems on edge in the office”.

“Maybe it’s the NSM, maybe this base isn’t performing as well as it should”, Sam says and Rose agrees with a nod.

“Could be… Guess we’ll see happens in the forthcoming days”, Emily says before walking over to switch off the lights.

When everyone quiets down, Tobin can finally hear her own thoughts. They swirl around and haunt her as she tries to fall asleep.

_Christen’s my friend, doesn’t matter how good it feels when I hold her in my arms. She doesn’t know what she wants; how could she? She should be allowed to learn about life without me and my selfish feelings._

_And do I even love her? Or is it my loneliness latching on to any little bit of comfort I can get from anyone who’s willing to spend time with me. How do I know if it’s affection or desperation?_

_All I know is when I’m with her, everything seems easier. I can laugh and not think about all the pressure I put on myself. I feels like I can take on the universe with her by my side._

Tobin eventually drifts into sleep much later that night, the last thing on her mind is Christen and she already knows it’ll be the first thing she thinks about when she wakes.


	7. Chapter 7

** Chapter 7 **

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Canteen**

**Date: 25-02-2127**

**Time: 07:12:19**

Tobin can’t eat breakfast without looking over at Christen every other minute, smiling at how pretty she looks with her hair braided.

At one point Christen even asked her if she was alright. She laughed it off and said she was still a little sleepy.

They eat together in silence, Tobin’s quiet because she doesn’t know what to say; Christen because she is reading a book.

“The Truth About The Universe? Sounds interesting”.

Christen looks up. “It’s really good. It’s the seventh book in the series of forty-three books and this one is particularly gripping”.

“So what’s it about?”, Tobin asks.

“It’s all about how our galaxy mirrors another that’s more than a hundred million lightyears away and obviously you would think that it’s the Milkyway, but there’s an infinite number of galaxies out there. In school we were told that we’re descendants of Earthlings who fled their planet because of a war, but the truth is, that’s just one reality. There might be alternates out there… of us. Of all of us”.

“An alternate universe where we’re something else?”, Tobin asks.

“Yeah… maybe I’m a doctor and you’re a lawyer”.

“You would be the lawyer, let’s be real”, Tobin laughs.

“Or, maybe there’s one where you’re a troubled sports star and I’m a dancer”.

“Or maybe you’re a baker and I’m a lighthouse keeper”

“That one’s a little weird, but I can live with it”, Christen says with a giggle.

Tobin’s eyes soften and she stares right into Christen’s perfectly pale green eyes. “I used to think I was so unlucky because nothing good ever happens to me, but knowing there’s an infinite number of galaxies in the universe and I’m living in one where I get to spend time with you… it’s amazing”.

The faintest blush appeared on Christen’s cheek as she smiles. “It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

“Christen, I…”, Tobin leans forward and brushes the tips of her fingers over Christen’s hand. “There’s so many things that I wanna say to you, but I don’t really know how”.

Christen nods. “I know exactly how you feel and I’ve been dealing with it all my life. It’s just…”, she sighs but manages a small smile. “…it’s harder now because of you”.

Tobin’s eyebrows quirked together in a concerned frown. “Because of me?”

“I like you, and I don’t even know what that means”, Christen says softly and Tobin only just hears her over the loud bustle in the cafeteria.

“I like you, too”, Tobin says way too fast and she’s slightly embarrassed.

Christen smiles and takes Tobin’s hand in hers. “Let’s figure it out together”.

“That works for me”.

///

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Courtyard**

**Date: 27-02-2127**

**Time: 17:00:17**

“I hate the anti-gravity chamber”, Tobin says as she and Christen walked back to the dorms after a midday training session. They had spent two hours in the chamber, learning how to use ray-guns in zero gravity. It was fun at first, but the chamber became too small for Tobin, who felt more and more like someone who was suffering from claustrophobia.

“I liked the shooting part, that was fun”

“Alright, Trigger Happy”, Tobin says and wraps her arm around Christen’s shoulders. Recently, she’s been experimenting with some new touches. She would put her hand on the small of Christen’s back, or brush her cheek, drag her thumb along the curly hairs along the nape of her neck… soft touches that Christen welcomed. It felt good, the touches themselves and the fact that she could show everybody that they belonged to each other.

“Do you ever think about going to war?”, Christen then asks.

Tobin is caught off guard by the question, but she’s thought about it before.

“I do. A lot actually. Sometimes the idea of going off to fight a war scares me, but then I think about all people who can’t defend themselves. Someone has to defend them”.

Christen has a sad smile on her face and nods in agreement. “Peace was never an option for my family. It was always war. They wanted their daughters to be soldiers, but I’m scared. I don’t know what to expect… not really”, she sighs. “My whole life was theory before I came here”.

“Everything starts off as a theory”, Tobin says and squeezes Christen’s shoulder gently. “You’re going to be a great soldier. You’re strong and brave and smart…” Tobin leans in and kisses Christen’s temple.

“Thanks, Tobin. Sometimes I need that reassurance”.

“We all do”. Tobin motions to a bench and they sit down.

“This might sound really weird, but all my life I’ve wanted to meet someone like you”, Christen says and looks away.

Tobin reaches out and with a crooked index finger, she steers Christen’s head back to hers so they can look into each other’s eyes.

“It’s not weird at all. Before I knew you, it felt like I was missing you”. Tobin tucks a stray lock of Christen’s curly hair behind her ear. “And I’m so glad we met”.

Christen nods and brushes a finger along Tobin’s jawline. “I’m glad we met, too”.

///

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Captain Rapinoe’s Office**

**Date: 27-02-2127**

**Time: 19:02:37**

“Why do you think the Captain wanted to see us?”, Sergeant Lloyd asks and checks down the corridor to see if the aforementioned Captain was coming.

Sergeant Tim Horward, who had been standing in for Rapinoe while she was away, shakes his head. “Could be anything, but I know she went to meet the Emperor’s Secret Guard… Maybe the Emperor has some new ideas for the NSM?”

“It feels more serious than that”. Lloyd spots Rapinoe and an unfamiliar woman right behind her as they walk up the corridor.

“Let’s just hope it’s nothing too bad”, Howard says and joins Lloyd in standing at attention.

“At ease”, Rapinoe says. She motions to her left. “This is Captain Magda Eriksson, she works for the Secret Guard”.

Lloyd and Howard greet the blonde woman politely.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you”, Eriksson says with a polite smile.

Rapinoe moves to enter her password and so open the door to her office. “We have urgent business to discuss. Please, come in you three”.

Eriksson, Lloyd and Howard follow Rapinoe into her office and the two women take the seats while Howard is stood behind them.

“Araca is threatening a war… A war that we are not ready for, ladies and gentleman”, Rapinoe says and arches her hands together. “Half of the NSM is already in the Eress galaxy, helping to save as many lives as they can out there. Our manpower is severely lacking. We cannot go to war”.

“But… there’s gotta be a way that we can prevent going to war with Acara, right?”, Lloyd asks. “I mean, we’ve always had a very diplomatic relationship with the planet… Now all of a sudden they wanna fight us? I don’t get it”.

Rapinoe sighs. “The derecho winds that occurred a few nights ago, ended up damaging the Aracan embassy here in Al Fida and an official died. You know how it goes, they want blood atonement for one of their fallen diplomats”.

“It was a natural disaster, Nuit can’t be held responsible for the death, no matter how tragic it was”, Howard says.

“Apparently tensions between Nuit and Araca have been festering for a while now. This is just the straw that broke the camel’s back”, Rapinoe says. “But Captain Eriksson can tell you more about that”.

The two sergeants look to the woman clad in a royal blue and gold uniform. 

“Nuit and Araca have had some political incidents in the recent past. Our Emperor and their King just cannot get along and a war was always in the works. Now Araca’s threatening a war if we don’t allow them access to our nuclear weaponry”.

“But we can’t let them do that”, Lloyd says.

“Exactly”. Captain Eriksson shakes her head. “As we speak, political leaders are having negotiations with an Aracan legation. Hopefully they can come to a peaceful resolution”.

“But what if they don’t?”, Howard asks.

“Then we’re going into battle”, Rapinoe says.


	8. Chapter 8

** Chapter 8 **

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – NSM Arena**

**Date: 02-03-2127**

**Time: 09:08:34**

The trainees don’t understand why Sergeant Lloyd is extra harsh today, but they don’t ask too many questions and just complete the assault course that had been set up in the Murder Dome. The elaborate course started with a sprint, then a jump over a one-meter-high electric fence which was supposed to be some overly dangerous hurdle. Next was the section of the course where they would have to grab a rifle from the rack, load it with bullets and shoot at a silicone dummy. The last part of the course was them having to carry the rifle and the dummy down a further stretch before having to cross a stream that had been simulated. All of this was taking place in 30 degrees Celsius heat.

Christen is chosen as one of the first five who had to complete it. Tobin stands with arms crossed and watches as the first five, which also includes Rose and Crystal, get ready.

She feels a tap on her shoulder and sees that it’s Lindsey. The blonde greets her with a happy smile.

“I can’t stand this freaking heat”, she says and fans herself with her hand. “Can you imagine living in a solar system? With a sun? That’s always there?”

Tobin just keeps her eyes locked on what’s taking place in front of her.

“Alright, I get it. You’re the brooding silent type, or at least you’re trying to be”, Lindsey says and flung an arm around Tobin’s shoulder. “But we all really like you, Tobs. Sam, Rose and I. And whether you like it or not, you’re apart of our little found family”.

Tobin glances over at the blonde. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

Lindsey bellows a laugh. “Because we know that you’re secretly a sweetheart who could use a couple of friends”.

“I have friends”.

“Like Christen?”

Tobin swallows hard and keeps her eyes straight ahead, Christen and the other four trainees were halfway through the course.

“Oh right, I’m not allowed to talk about her”.

“You’re gonna drive me insane… All of you, but you especially”, Tobin mutters and crosses her arms to her chest.

///

The air was much colder than usual tonight, with a nippy gust of wind blowing through the courtyard. The night sky’s in a deep violet and it’s darker than it ought to be, but many trainees were out in the courtyard, sitting on the benches or lounging on the cool grass. Tobin and Christen are on their nightly walk.

“I’m proud of us for both placing first in our courses today”, Christen says and rests her head on Tobin’s shoulder.

“And next week will be our last and then it’s graduation”.

“Before another two months at the Elite Training Facility in Qena”.

Tobin’s face turns serious and she stops. “Then what?”

“What do you mean?”

“What about us? What if you wanna go to pilot school and I wanna go out in the field? Or what if you wanna work patrol and I wanna work on the battleships?”, Tobin asks in rapid fashion.

“Don’t worry about that now”, Christen says and places a hand on Tobin’s forearm. “We have two months to figure it all out”.

“Yeah, you’re right”, Tobin says and laughs awkwardly. She doesn’t want to show just how worried she is that they might end up in different places; she wants to be the strong one. “I’m sorry for overreacting. I just didn’t wanna think about us not being together, which is weird because we’re not even-”

“Together?”, Christen asks quietly.

Tobin’s head drops. “Yeah”.

She feels Christen’s cold lifting her chin and she finds herself looking into green eyes.

“I want us to be”, Christen says softly and closes the space between them even further.

Tobin’s heart thumps against her chest and she feels warm all of a sudden. “You do?”

“Yes… I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life”, Christen says. “I mean, I still don’t know what I’m doing because I’ve never dated anyone, but I know I that I wanna be with you, Tobin”.

“I-I don’t even know what to say right now”, Tobin says, slightly bemused. “But I want you, too. I’ve always wanted you”. She moves to place her hands on Christen’s hips. “Is this okay?”, she asks. Christen nods happily.

“I’ve never been kissed”, Christen challenges, eyes locked with Tobin’s.

“Oh”, Tobin says.

_Oh…_

The brunette finally catches on and inches closer to Christen, tilting her head slightly so their noses don’t bump into each other. She gently pulls at Christen’s waist and presses a soft kiss into her lips. At the second time of asking wordlessly, Christen parts her lips somewhat and Tobin can kiss her properly. And it seemed she was enjoying it, by the way her fingertips dig into Tobin’s shoulder blades.

Christen breaks their kiss, brushes her palm against Tobin’s cold cheek. “That was perfect”, she says softly.

Tobin smiles and she knows she looks like a dope right now, but she doesn’t care one bit. “You’re perfect”.

The sirens go off before Christen can reply, but she gives Tobin a quick peck on the cheek. “Time to go inside. Come on”, she says and pulls Tobin by the arm playfully.

///

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Dorm 12**

**Date: 03-03-2127**

**Time: 18:19:29**

Tobin comes back from a shower and finds all three of her roommates on their beds. Rose is reading from a tablet computer, Sam is just lounging and Lindsey is applying nail polish to her nails.

She clears her throat to get their attention. All the women look up at her with looks of confusion displayed on their faces.

“Is something wrong, Tobin?”, Rose asks.

“Don’t talk to Tobin, baby. She wants nothing to do with us. We’re not her friends; she can’t stand us”, Lindsey says dryly and without looking up.

Tobin gives an exasperated sigh and crosses her arms. “Look, I just wanted to apologise for my behaviour these last few weeks. It’s not that I don’t like you, I just don’t do well in groups and I like to keep to myself”.

Rose and Sam look to each other and Lindsey’s still only focused on her nails.

“We should also apologise, we-”

“No we shouldn’t! _She_ was being a jerk. We did nothing wrong”, Lindsey chimes in and finally looks up at Tobin. “You can’t just say you wanna apologise, but the words ‘I’m sorry’ don’t even come out your mouth”.

“Okay! I’m sorry…”, Tobin says and runs a hand through her still damp hair. “Do you guys forgive me or not?”

“I do”, Rose says quickly.

“Yeah, me too”, Sam says and offers a polite smile.

“Thanks guys”, Tobin says and then looks over to her third roommate. “Lindsey?”

“Why the sudden one-eighty?”

Tobin sighs and uncrosses her arms. “Because I always complain about Alex being a bitch, but I’m just as bad”.

“I’m calling bullshit on that one. There’s no way Alex Morgan is the reason behind this”.

Tobin shakes her head. “I said I was sorry, I don’t know what more you want from me”. She walks over to her bed and moves her moonbear out of the way so she can climb on. After two intense training sessions, all she wants to do is get some sleep before dinner.

“If you’re really sorry, you’d come sit with us during dinner”, Lindsey says casually.

“I always have dinner with Christen”, Tobin says quickly.

“Well, obviously she’s invited, too”.

“I’ll have to ask her how she feels about having dinner with you guys”, Tobin says, already knowing what Christen’s response is going to be.

///

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Canteen**

**Date: 03-03-2127**

**Time: 20:03:44**

While in the canteen, looking for Christen, Tobin feels a hand running along her back. She smiles when she sees it’s Christen.

“Hey”, she greets and they walk towards the food station.

“How did it go with your roommates?”

Tobin sighs. “They forgave me, but now they want us to sit with them tonight”.

“For dinner?”

Tobin nods.

“That sounds like so much fun!”, Christen says.

“I thought you might say that”, Tobin mutters playfully.

///

“So, what are they like?”, Christen asks as she and Tobin make their way to the table where the other three cadets were seated. “I’ve only spoken to Sam a few times, but I’ve never had any interactions with the other two”.

“Rose is nice, maybe to a fault and Lindsey is… boisterous”.

They reach the table and Tobin takes it upon herself to introduce everyone.

“We all know Christen. The girl who’s gonna graduate top of our class”, Lindsey says. “Come on, sit down. Let’s get into some girl-talk”.

“Girl-talk?”, Christen asks.

“Yeah, like what kind of face wash do you use? Rifles or ray-guns? Is Tobin a good kisser or not? That kinda stuff”, Lindsey explains and then laughs when Tobin kicks her shins underneath the table.

Christen blushes and reaches for her bottle of water instead of answering any of the questions.

“I’m kidding! Tobin knows about my twisted sense of humor, don’t you Tobs?”

“Tobs?”, Christen asks with a giggle. “That’s pretty cute”.

“Can we just have dinner? Please?”, Tobin asks and sticks a fork into her cottage pie.

They eat in comfortable silence, until Christen and Rose start talking about books.

“Tell me you’ve read ‘The Lost Paradigm’”, Christen says and takes a bite of her salad.

“I have! I loved it!”, Rose says excitedly. “I mean, I was scared by the reality of something like that happening, but it was still a really gripping read”.

“Nerds”, Sam jokes and she gets dirty looks from both Christen and Rose.

“What’s it about?”, Tobin asks.

“It takes a look at all of the uninhabited galaxies that are slowing merging together to create an all-encompassing giant spiral cluster”, Christen answers. “The scary part is that all of that absorption can cause a black hole”.

“Wow, that’s pretty dark… Excuse the pun”, Lindsey.

“But that won’t happen anywhere near us, right?”, Sam asks and Tobin is just as interested in the answer.

Christen shakes her head in the negative. “If anything, we’re the safest we can be here in our galaxy, but anywhere in and around the Azuyel NS1147 region could be in serious trouble”.

“And no one’s gonna do anything about it?”, Lindsey asks.

“Uninhabited galaxies”, Rose says. “No Emperor or King is gonna wanna get involved and risk being in contravention of our biggest law…”

“No colonisation”, Tobin says quietly.

Rose nods. “Exactly”.

“Wow, you guys are into some deep stuff”, Lindsey says and takes a sip of orange juice.

Thankfully, the rest of their meal’s conversation is on the lighter side. Lindsey tells them all about Qena, the city which will house the graduates for two further months. She was born and raised there, so she can answer all of their questions. Tobin keeps to herself for most of the time, simply watching Christen enjoy herself. It was like Christen could get along with everyone and like everyone who met Christen was charmed by her.

Tobin’s glad she’s not the only one so enchanted by the northern beauty.

After dinner, Tobin and Christen go for a walk, hand in hand with shoulders just barely touching.

“Thanks for forcing me to be nice to my roommates. Turns out they aren’t that bad”, Tobin says.

“Yeah, you were just being grumpy and mean. They’re really nice and they really like you. Almost as much as I do”, Christen jokes and places a quick kiss on Tobin’s cheek. “And I like that you only show you softer side to me and no one else”.

Tobin smirks and leads Christen to a bench. “It’s our last week here… Are you gonna miss this place?”

“I’ve never missed a place before, but I think I’ll miss being here. I kinda got used to it, even if it reminded me of the compound”.

“And is that not something you want to be reminded of?”, Tobin carefully probes.

Christen stares off into the middle distance, eyes dead set on the inky darkness in front of them. “I wasn’t a great place to grow up. It wasn’t a home per se. My sisters and I had to keep to a rigorous training schedule and diet. We weren’t allowed to leave or even think for ourselves”. She crosses her arms to generate some heat. “And it’s not that hate my parents, but I don’t ever wanna go back there”.

Tobin could feel a lump forming in her throat. The sadness that flashed in Christen’s eyes as she spoke breaks her heart. She reaches out and puts an arm around Christen’s shoulder. “You don’t have to go back if you don’t want to. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to”.

Christen smiles despite the tears that were rolling down her cheek. “It’s just hard talking about all this stuff, you know?”, she says and allows Tobin to wipe her tears away with her thumb. “I’ve never opened up to anyone before… I’ve never had to opportunity”.

“You can tell me anything and everything”, Tobin says softly. “I’ll always listen and I’ll always be here for you”.

Christen nods and sniffs a few times. “You really are my hero”, she says and rests her head on Tobin’s shoulder.

“Come on”, Tobin says gently. “Like you need someone to save you”, she jokes.

Christen looks up and brushes her palm against Tobin’s cheek. “You’re right, I don’t need someone to save me… I just need you”. She leans in closer and brushes her lips against Tobin’s. They kiss almost feels delicate in how softly their lips meet. Tobin is convinced she can hear her heartbeat pounding in her throat as she deepens the kiss and tastes cucumber on Christen’s lips. She knows Christen’s only had kiss before, but she wants this one to be even better than her first. She rests on hand on Christen’s thigh and the other on her waist, and then she deepens the kiss even more, gently nipping at her lower lip. She smiles into the kiss when she hears Christen whimper.

“Wow”, Christen says when they finally pull apart.

“Yeah, wow”, Tobin mimics softly and places a chaste kiss on Christen’s lips. “I just wanna make you happy, kid”.

“You do”. She locks her hand with Tobin’s.

Tobin chuckles softly. “We still have five minutes out here. How do you wanna spend it?”

Christen wastes no time in pulling Tobin towards her and kissing her. She’s a novice, but she’s also a fast learner


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Dorm 12**

**Date: 03-05-2127**

**Time: 19:08:24**

Tobin knows it’s not really possible, but she wants to take Christen on a date; her first date. She wants to start making new memories with her. She want’s Christen to see the world she was deprived of for so long.

She comes out of the shower and finds her three roommates all by their desks, studying for an upcoming test. It was going to be the final exam they write and they had to score at least a seventy on it. Tobin felt prepared, so she was much more interested in finding a way she could plan a romantic evening with Christen.

“Do you guys know of anyone who’s snuck out of the base?”, she asks casually as she goes to sit on the chair by her desk. She’s in a fresh blue NSM shirt and athletic shorts, with her brown hair still damp from the shower.

“Oeh, you thinking of sneaking out, huh? Where to?”, Lindsey asks playfully.

“I’m not gonna sneak out. I was just wondering…”

“We can’t help you if you won’t tell us”, Sam says and winks.

Tobin scoffs, but decides to tell them that she wants to take Christen on a date. All three of the other young women swoon and Tobin instantly regrets it.

“I think it’s really romantic that you’re willing to get yourself and your girlfriend into trouble, but I would not recommend doing that. I’ve spent some time around the office and the Sergeants do not take kindly to escapees”, Lindsey says.

“You’re probably right… I don’t know what I was thinking. We’re a few days off graduation, why would I jeopardise that?”

“But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do something special for Christen”, Rose says.

“Yeah… I’ll figure something out”, Tobin says absent-mindedly as she runs a comb through her hair.

///

**Location: Al Fida, Nuit, Emperor’s Military Training Base 3 – Stairway**

**Date: 03-05-2127**

**Time: 20:02:20**

Tobin’s waits for Christen at the foot of the stairs. She notices Alex Morgan descending down the stairs and her expression changes instantly; from happy excitement to annoyed.

“Oh, hey Tobin”, the dark-haired woman says. “Waiting for Christen?”

“Keep walking, Morgan”, Tobin replies rigidly.

Alex remains unmoved.

“You heard her, get lost”, Christen says from a few steps above. Both Tobin and Alex look up.

Alex scoffs and walks off.

“Have I mentioned that I detest her?”

Christen laughs and pulls Tobin into her arms for a quick hug. “You smell so good”, she sighs. “Ready to go to dinner?”

“Actually, I was thinking we could do something a little different today… if that’s okay with you”.

Christen raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Alright…”

Tobin smiles and takes Christen by the hand. “You’re gonna like it… I think. I hope”.

They walk out the door and into the courtyard. The air is cold, as always, but the stars shine superbly bright against the dark purple skies. All three of the Nuit moons are visible and the moonlight lights up the dark parts of the courtyard that the floodlights miss.

“Where are we going?”, Christen asks.

“You’ll see once we get there, right now it’s hard to explain”.

They walk further into the dark, until the reach the back of the administration building. Once they turn the corner, Christen’s heart practically melts when she sees the blanket, the little containers of food and the two bottles of water.

“Tobin, you did all of this?”

The brunette nods. “Have you ever had a picnic?”, she asks.

“No, but I always thought they looked like so much fun”, Christen coos and hurries over to the blanket. “Where did you get all this food?”

Tobin sits down on the blanket and pats on it so Christen can join her. “I asked the cooks to prepare some dinner for my sick friend who couldn’t make it down to the canteen”.

“Very smart”, Christen laughs as she takes her place next to Tobin.

“I got all your favourites; fruits and vegetables and…”, she digs into one of the utility pockets of her cargo pants and reveals a packet of rock candies. “…these are the sweets you liked form Cleo Carnival. I saved a packet”.

Christen smiles and kisses Tobin on her lips. “You’re amazing”.

“I try”, Tobin jokes and kisses Christen again.

They snack on the fruit and vegetables, while Tobin tells Christen all about her prestigious family.

“Right now my mom’s in Luxora, working as part of the Emperor’s Secret Guard, but she’s still affiliated with the Space Military. My dad’s a Lieutenant in the NSM and he lives here in Al Fida”.

“That’s impressive, but now I get why you’re so competitive. I bet you always feel like you have to live up to their lofty expectations, right?”

“Exactly… and it makes me question everything I do”.

Christen, who was laying with her head in Tobin’s lap while the latter plays with her hair, reaches up and brushes her fingertips along Tobin’s jawline. “You’re gonna graduate next week and then you’re going to Qena and you’re be amazing there, too. No question about it”.

Tobin hunches over and places a kiss on her forehead. “You know, when I was younger, I really wanted to see a sunset… just once in my life. I read about it somewhere and then saw it on television and I thought, ‘I wanna see a sunset with my own eyes’. I didn’t think that anything could be so beautiful, but seeing you here, looking up at me like this… nothing will ever compare to your beauty”.

“And here I thought you weren’t good with words”, Christen jokes. She sits up and wraps her arms around Tobin’s shoulders. “Kiss me”.

Tobin obliges.


End file.
